Americans have long found comfort in the two oceans that separate us from Middle East wars, but the vulnerabilities Iranian cyber operations pose bring these conflicts much closer to home. Through cyber intrusion, Iran has already disrupted our water supply and healthcare sector while continuing to threaten our energy and telecommunications infrastructure. If we fail to force an end to Iran’s cyber warfare, collaborate with our partners to alert the public on Iranian threats, and help communities address key cybersecurity concerns, the Iranian state and cybercriminals may cause irreversible damage to American infrastructure. 

Attempting to disrupt U.S. military operations and  the American government, cybercriminals within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Cyber Economic Command and Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS), such as Handala Hack Team, launched direct cyberattacks targeting American troops and officials.  These attacks not only demonstrated Iran’s intent to harm the American warfighter, but also compromise our defense apparatus. Handala claimed responsibility for seizing the personal information of U.S. servicemembers stationed in the Middle East, including details on the F-35 fighter jet, as well as hacking the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations Director’s email.